Lost and Found
by the8thDragonball
Summary: This is a breaking news report from the Satan City Police Department; it has just been confirmed that 11 year old Videl Satan was killed days ago in an attempted kidnapping. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her father Hercule Satan, the man who just one month ago saved the world from Cell.
1. Prologue

*** Prologue ***

She was trying very hard not to be scared.

It wasn't working.

"Let me go!" She demanded, probably for the hundredth time since she woke up to find herself tied up and at the mercy of the three men with her in the plane. "Do you want my Daddy to beat you up like he did Cell?! Let me go or you're gonna be sorry!"

That earned her a slap to the face from the nearest thug, which made her cheek sting as blood swelled in her mouth.

"Shut up, you little brat!" He snarled, still nursing the black eye he had earned when the girl had woken up to find them breaking into her room to kidnap her. She had only started training a few months earlier, so she wasn't very strong yet, but the fact that she could fight at all had taken the men by surprise, and ensured that they didn't have an easy time stealing her from her home.

"Take it easy." One of the other kidnappers said, frowning at his companion. "If we hurt the kid too badly, we could have a lot of trouble getting her father to cooperate with the ransom."

"Yeah man." The third kidnapper agreed from where he sat flying the plane. "I'm all for some quick, easy cash, but pissing off Hercule Satan just ain't smart."

"We just flew off with his precious little princess here." The first kidnapper scoffed. "Pretty sure that ship has sailed, buddy." Turning back to the little girl tied up before him, the man gave a cruel smirk at the sight of her glare. "Don't worry though. Even the mighty World Savior wouldn't dare do anything so long as little Miss Videl Satan here is honoring us with her presence."

Glaring harder, Videl spat blood into the bully's face. The smirk fell away immediately, and the second kidnapper had to scramble to his feet to restrain his friend from attacking the girl again.

"Easy, easy!" He said, grunting with the effort of keeping the large man off of the child. "She's no use to us dead, you know!" That seemed to calm the enraged criminal down a little, but the scowl he leveled at Videl as his friend released him was absolutely thunderous.

"You better pray that your Daddy comes through for you, brat." He growled out poisonously. "Otherwise, I'm gonna take great pleasure in chopping you up into bite-sized pieces and mailing you back to Hercule in a shoebox."

Videl tried to glare bravely at the man after he said that, but she couldn't stop her body from shaking.

She hadn't been so scared since the day she watched her Daddy leave to go fight in the Cell Games. She was so sure that was going to be the last time she ever saw him. After all, her Daddy was strong, but what chance did any human have against a monster who could kill a whole army all by himself?

When her father had returned to her, not only alive but _victorious_, she had been more happy then she had ever been in her whole entire life. She had hugged him tightly the second he stepped into view, positively euphoric as the World Champ laughed loudly and flashed a victory sign with his free hand to the waiting cameras. That experience had been a very powerful lesson to Videl to never underestimate her father.

Remembering that made a spark of courage burn in the young girl's chest, diminishing her fears a bit.

_That's right…_ she reminded herself, eyebrows drawing together in determination. _I'm the daughter of the strongest man in the world. If Daddy can beat Cell, then these dumb crooks are no match for me._

The spark of courage became a burning flame at that thought. Taking a deep breath, Videl jumped to her feet and lunged for the kidnapper who kept threatening her, digging her shoulder into his stomach as hard as she could.

"You little brat!" The second kidnapper snapped as his friend went down, making a grab for Videl. The small girl ducked his groping hands and cast her eyes around desperately for anything that could break the rope that bound her hands together. She needed to work fast, the first kidnapper was already starting to get back up. Spotting a lever nearby, the little girl practically pounced, jamming the metal in between her captured hands and pulling as hard as she could. The lever was pulled up in her exertion and, before Videl could figure out what was happening, a door opened right next to her.

The unexpected suction from the outside dragged the girl off her feet and sent her tumbling backwards to the ground below. The last thing she saw of the plane was the look of horror on her kidnapper's face as she toppled away, falling helplessly to the earth below.

And that was the last anyone ever saw of Videl Satan, daughter of the Savior of the World.


	2. Finding Pain

*** Finding Pain ***

He wasn't sleeping very well.

He couldn't really help it even though he knew it was making his mother worry, something he always hated to do. As far as he was concerned, he'd caused Son Chi-chi enough grief without making her fuss even more. Piccolo too, but unlike his mother the Namekian wasn't fooled when Gohan blamed his restlessness on having too much extra energy now that his body wasn't constantly forced to keep up with a Super Saiyan transformation. Thankfully, Piccolo also didn't push Gohan to talk about the nightmares that plagued him every night since his father's death.

Gohan really didn't want to talk about his nightmares. He tried his best to stay upbeat and cheerful for his worried friends and family during the day, but in the cover of darkness when exhaustion finally overwhelmed the young half saiyan, the guilt and pain he tried so hard to mask sank their claws deep into his subconscious and tormented him night after night. After a week of waking up chocking back screams or blinking away tears, Gohan finally began to realize that he wasn't going to shake the dreams this time.

So he began trying to find ways to avoid his dreams, pushing off sleep for as long as possible and getting his rest in brief spurts throughout the day, naps that were too short to be truly restful, but also too quick for him to start dreaming. At night, after his mother had finally drifted off, Gohan left his bed behind and flew. He never had a destination in mind. He just wanted to fly. Feeling the wind in his face as the ground blurred past him hundreds of feet below was somehow therapeutic. He tried to keep his energy as low as possible and steer clear of the other warriors, but sometimes he sensed himself being tailed on his nightly extrusions. Usually by Krillen, who was closest to him, but Yamcha had followed him a few times too, and Tien as well.

Most surprising of all was when Vegeta had taken flight after him.

None of the warriors ever approached him as he flew. Mostly because whenever Gohan sensed them getting too close, he picked up speed until he lost them. Vegeta hadn't been easy to shake the one night he tried to follow the young half saiyan, forcing Gohan to go Super Saiyan 2 in order to lose the prince. In retrospect, that probably wasn't smart considering how proud Vegeta was and how much it would bruise his ego to be outstripped by a half saiyan who didn't even like fighting, but Gohan really couldn't bring himself to care much about Vegeta's ego. Not when he was trying so hard to escape the reminders of what he had done. Not when his home was so conspicuously missing his father's ki.

Closing his eyes, Gohan put in an extra burst of speed, the wind rushing past him at a speed that would kill a normal human, but still not fast enough to shake those thoughts. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, and avoided talking about it with the others, the loss of Goku still felt like a fresh wound to his half saiyan son, one which hurt more when people tried to get him to talk about it. He knew his friends were all worried, and that they only wanted to help him, but he just couldn't deal with the pain of talking about his father every time someone came to see him.

_I don't want to forget him._ Gohan thought sadly as he slowed down to a more reasonable speed. _But remembering hurts so much. I just wish things could be different._

Unfortunately, that was one wish even the dragonballs couldn't grant.

Sighing quietly, Gohan turned his eyes to the horizon before him, where the first light of dawn was just starting to appear. He'd circled the globe three times in the last few hours, and was now nearing his home on Mt. Paotzu again. If he wasn't back before his mother woke up, Chi-chi would worry and send Krillen out to find him. With that thought in mind, Gohan turned back into the direction of his house, where he could sense his mother's ki still dampened by the weight of sleep.

Just as he was about to jet back to the little house that seemed far too big without his father's presence, a familiar scent wafted up to the half saiyan's nose, making him freeze in midair.

Blood.

_Human _blood.

Snapping back around, Gohan followed his nose down to the earth, through the canopy of the trees to land on the ground. Looking around in the dim light, the half saiyan's eyes landed on a crumpled form lying amongst broken tree branches and leaves some ten feet away. Gohan approached warily, his stomach turning.

The smell of blood was practically overwhelming.

Gingerly, Gohan brushed aside a lock of hair to inspect the face of the person he'd found, grimacing at the sight that greeted him. The person he'd found was a girl, but the only reason he could tell that was because half her hair was still caught up in a pigtail. The other half appeared to have come free, allowing her inky black tresses to fall around her. She was so bruised that Gohan almost had trouble believing that her skin wasn't naturally blue and purple, and where were cuts and lacerations all over her face, including an especially nasty one on her lip. Her teeth had been stained red with blood, which was starting to seep out of the corner of her mouth, and blood was also dripping out of her nose, which appeared to have been broken.

Judging from the angles some of her limbs were at now, it probably wasn't her only broken bone either.

And yet, despite all of that, much to the amazement of the young half saiyan, somehow or another she was still breathing. And from her chest, Gohan could hear the girl's heart still beating weakly to try and pump precious blood through her injured body.

"Whoa." Gohan said under his breath. Fortunately for her, he was used to the grim and gory sights that came with war, so her appearance didn't phase him as much as it would've someone else. "Something did a number to you, huh?" glancing up, Gohan frowned at the sight of freshly broken branches on the trees above, one of which had a tattered rope hanging limply from it, swaying innocently in a passing breeze. The girl must've fallen from quite a height, to have sustained such injuries, but he hadn't seen any planes or helicopters or anything in the air above when he was flying, and there weren't any signs of a crash nearby.

Shaking his head, Gohan decided that figuring out where the girl had come from would have to wait until later. She wasn't going to last much longer if someone didn't help her fast. Peeling off his shirt, Gohan began tearing the fabric into long strips, which he used to bind the girl's injuried the best he could. It wasn't much, but it would at least last until he could get her back to his home, where their well-stocked first aid room would once again come in handy.

Now came the tricky part; getting the patient to the care she so desperately needed.

Gohan didn't dare pick her up, as bad as she was injured. If he tried moving her, he'd probably only make things worse. Leaving her along to the elements and wildlife so he could get a stretcher wasn't a good idea either, since he could already sense animals lurking out of sight, drawn to the scent of the girl's blood just as he was. He was fast, but he still didn't want to take the chance of something hungry happening upon the girl while he was gone. He could try building a stretcher out of what was available to him, but that would take time, which the girl was rapidly running out of.

_I could always try that…_ Gohan thought, frowning. He'd seen Piccolo, Krillen and his dad do it, and always thought it looked like an interesting technique. Piccolo had explained it to him once, but Gohan had never tried it himself, so he didn't know it he could actually pull it off. _Guess there's no time like the present to find out._

Stepping away from the fallen girl, Gohan held both hands out in front of him, fingers spread, and concentrated his ki all around the girl's body. Focusing, Gohan willed the energy to obey him. Slowly, the girl rose into the air, her injured body cushioned by the half saiyan's ki. Carefully, Gohan mentally urged the floating girl forward, and to his undying relief his energy obeyed with little effort. Determination swelled in Gohan as he pushed onward as quickly as he dared with the girl, headed toward his house.

He might not have been able to save his father, but maybe, just maybe, he could do something to help this girl.

* * *

As soon as Gohan was within sight of his house, Son Chi-chi was out the front door and storming towards him with a scowl on her face that normally would've sent the half saiyan running. For the first time in his life though, Gohan was thrilled to see that look on his mother's face.

"And just where have you been, Son Gohan?!" Chi-chi demanded hotly. "Do you have any idea how worried I was when I-!" Whatever Chi-chi was going to say dissolved into a startled gasp when she finally saw the form floating next to her son.

"Mom." Gohan said, straining with the effort of keeping the girl floating for nearly two hours. "Get my bed ready. She's hurt really bad." To Gohan's undying relief, Chi-chi didn't question him, merely turned and hurried back into the house to prepare her son's room for their surprise guest.

As soon as the girl was safely on the bed, Gohan collapsed into his chair, darkness creeping into the edges of his vision. Chi-chi shot him a worried look, but pushed back on her urge to mother him. Whatever weakness Gohan had was only temporary, he'd recover soon enough. The little girl her boy had found, on the other hand, was in much worse shape.

"What on earth happened?" Chi-chi demanded.

"Don't know." Gohan confessed, shaking his head. "I found her all on her own in the forest, just like that. There weren't any villages or anything nearby, and it looked like she fell out of the sky or something."

"Fell out of the sky?" Chi-chi repeated, exasperated. "Gohan, children don't just fall out of the sky, you know better then that." Gohan raised his eyebrow minutely at that. "Don't give me that look, Son Gohan. You know what I mean." Turning back to the girl on the bed, Chi-chi frowned worriedly. "I really don't know how much we can do for this girl, though. She looks really bad Gohan, we might have to move her to a hospital in the city."

"She wouldn't survive if we move her that far." Gohan told his mother grimly. "Even bringing her here was cutting it pretty close. I had to keep sharing some of my ki with her to keep her heart from stopping." Chi-chi winced at that. No wonder Gohan was so drained when they finally got to the Son's home. Even for her super-powered son, something like that would be incredibly taxing, since his powers weren't geared towards healing.

"What about Dende?" Chichi asked. Gohan's eyes widened at the reminder of his Namekian friend. He'd forgotten all about the new Guardian of Earth.

"That's right!" Gohan exclaimed. "He's still pretty drained after all that Cell stuff, but he should be able to help!"

"We better get him down here fast though, I don't think this girl is going to last much longer without divine intervention." Chi-chi murmured, pulling away from the injured girl to snatch the phone off of the cradle. "I'm going to call Krillen and get him to go get Dende and come back here. Gohan, you-!" Before Chi-chi could finish, a blast of energy blew her hair around her wildly and sent papers flying from where they had been stacked neatly on her son's desk. Stomach dropping, Chi-chi turned around to find the window open, Gohan missing, and a glint of gold in the sky heading toward's the Lookout.

Dropping the phone, Chi-chi ran to the window scowling at the shine in the distance.

"Son Gohan, you get back here right this instant!" She screamed into the sky, to no avail. Sighing irritably, Chi-chi closed the window and turned back to their mystery foundling with a flat look. "Do yourself a big favor, sweetie." She told the prone form dryly. "Never have children with an alien. It's nothing but trouble." Shaking her head in dismay, Chi-chi left her son's room and opened the door to the small storage room, which she had turned into a rather impressive collection of first aid supplies that had proven all too necessary in keeping her husband and son alive.

That thought felt like a spear through the heart for the Son matriarch. Swallowing back a sob, Chi-chi ran her fingers gingerly over a bottle of disinfectant. Just months earlier, she'd used the very same bottle to treat some wounds Goku got sparring with Piccolo. She'd yelled at him at the time, furious over the black eye Gohan had gotten in that same training session. Just as she was demanding to know how Goku expected his son to study when he only had one good eye, her husband had surprised her by scooping her up into a hug. She had struggled for a bit, but eventually gave up fighting and settled against her husband's chest with an angry huff, which just made Goku chuckle before pressing a kiss against her neck.

"Everything will be fine, Chi-chi." He reassured her with utmost confidence. "I won't let anything bad happen to Gohan. Promise."

_Idiot._ Chi-chi now thought, wiping angrily at the tears the memory had brought. _You stupid, stupid fool. How is Gohan even remotely okay with you dead?_

How was _she_ supposed to be okay, without her husband there?

Taking a deep breath, Chi-chi composed herself the best she could, blotting away the last of her tears with her apron. Grabbing the disinfectant and a few other necessities, Chi-chi left the first aid room, closing the door behind her a little harder then was really necessary. On her way back to her son's room, Chi-chi gave a frown in the direction of the kitchen, where the breakfast she'd prepared for her and her son were probably already starting to get cold. Sighing, Chi-chi decided that there was nothing she could do but serve her son a cold meal. After all, she wasn't sure she could just get back to cooking and pretend that some poor little girl wasn't lying at death's door in her son's bed. Her maternal instincts just wouldn't allow that.

Reentering Gohan's room, Chi-chi was unsurprised to find the girl in question lying exactly as she'd left her on the bed. Taking a rag and some warm water, Chi-chi began to gently clean away dirt and blood, her stomach turning as she inspected the child more closely.

Much like her husband and, unfortunately, her son, Chi-chi was no stranger to battle or injury, either to herself or others. She'd been hurt more then once herself training, and her superpowered husband and son had- unintentionally- injured her a few times, and she was quite accustomed to the task of patching up Goku, Gohan and even Piccolo after intense sparring sessions (the surly Namekian had always protested that he didn't need her help, but had never been able to escape the Son's home without his injuries treated to, to the undying amusement of both male Sons and his own silent irritation) But as a mother, something in her cried out at the sight of a child in such a sorry state.

_She'd probably be really pretty if it wasn't for all the blood and bruises, too._ Chi-Chi thought absently as she carefully undid the girl's last pigtail and began wiping the rag through her hair to clean it of matted blood, eyes sharp and hands gentle as she inspected the girl's scalp for injuries. As much as she loved her son and was proud of all his accomplishments, she couldn't deny that part of her had always longed for a little girl. Goku had picked up on this somehow, and the two of them had talked a little about the possibility of adding to their little family once more after Cell had been defeated.

It was a sweet sentiment, but unfortunately such a thing was no longer possible.

Smiling sadly, Chi-chi absently ran her fingers through the girl's hair a few times before reluctantly letting go to see to the rest of her injuries. Slowly but efficiently, Chi-chi cleaned the blood off of the girl's face, neck and upper torso, working her way downward and wincing every time she found a new injury or noticed another broken bone. It wasn't until she got to the girl's wrists, though, that she found something that made her heart stop.

Much like the rest of her body, the girl's wrists were bruised and broken. But there was something else to this injury as well, something that made the Son Matriarch tremble with blind rage.

Someone had tied this little girl up.

Someone who had better pray to whichever deity was twisted enough to listen to such a sick bastard that Son Chi-chi never, EVER found them.


	3. Losing Pain

_Before I start the next chapter, I want to take a second to talk everyone who's been reviewing. The response to this story has been amazing, and it definitely keeps me going, so thank you all. Some of my reviewers have mentioned some questions of concerns that they have, and I wanted to respond to them here rather then privately in case others had similar questions._

_**Gohan's Depression-**__ Yes, Gohan is suffering though depression at this point in the story, but only because the Cell Games took place not too long before and he's still recovering from the loss of his father. Make no mistake though, Gohan will eventually start to get better and be happy again. I don't plan on keeping him depressed for the duration of this story._

_**Wands and Warriors-**__ I've had a few people ask me about this story, so I figured I'd let you all know that SoaW is currently on Hiatus due to catastrophic computer failure, which lost all of my notes and outlines for the story and most of Chapter 4. I plan on continuing it eventually, but I need to rewrite everything first which is going to take a while._

_And with that out of the way, let's get on with the story then, shall we?_

*** Losing Pain ***

Piccolo understood Gohan better then any other being on the planet. Their bond was one forged not through birth, but life. The life that the Namekian had once given to protect Gohan as a child and would sacrifice again for his sake without a second thought, and the life Piccolo had robbed of the peace and safety that he so richly deserved. Piccolo knew that Gohan himself wouldn't see it that way. Such was the respect and admiration that the young half saiyan had for his kidnapper-turned-mentor. But deep down, Piccolo knew the truth. He knew that it wasn't the Saiyans or Freiza or Cell responsible for the fact that Gohan would never be able to live a normal life. He knew they weren't the ones ultimately to blame for Gohan's nightmares, and the guilt he now unjustly harbored thanks to his father's death.

Piccolo had been the one to drag him down that road, with no regard to Gohan's wishes on the matter. In the end, though Piccolo had helped mold what was undoubtably the most powerful warrior earth had ever seen, he had done so at the expense of Gohan himself.

And it was just as difficult for the Namekian to forgive himself for that as it was for Gohan to accept that he wasn't responsible for Goku's demise.

That was one of several reasons he didn't try and chase after Gohan during his nightly romps, like many of the other warriors had. That was why he didn't try and force the issue out of Gohan, even though Krillen had already approached him three times out of worry for the boy. He knew better then anyone that, though kind and generous, Gohan had a stubborn streak a mile wider then his father's, and twice as clever. He'd been forced to grow up far too fast, mostly due to Piccolo himself, which was a wound that would never heal completely. In time, though, Gohan would learn to accept himself. His powers, his past, and the brave, noble boy he truly was, with a great future ahead of him despite the hardships of his youth. Piccolo could not wait to meet the amazing young man who would undoubtably greet him when that day came.

But first, he had to give Gohan what he needed to face the difficulties he was going through right now. And despite the concerns of Krillen and the others, what Gohan needed now was space and respect so that he could gather his thoughts. Piccolo didn't mind wait for Gohan to come to him instead of breathing down the boys neck and making him even more aware of his pain. He knew his student would come to him soon to seek his guidance on this matter, and he was patient enough to wait for that to happen.

But he sure as hell was not expecting to have a super saiyan rocketing up to the Lookout like his hair was on fire when Gohan did finally come around to see him.

Immediately, Piccolo stood with all senses alert, going from mild obsessive paranoia to outright hyperawareness border lining on outright panic. He couldn't sense any threats in the vicinity, but the androids had taught them all that didn't mean anything. Gohan wouldn't go super saiyan unless there was a real emergency.

And whatever that emergency was, he wouldn't hesitate to help his student face it head on.

Which was why it didn't surprise anyone when Piccolo was the first to greet Gohan as soon as the half saiyan touched down on the lookout, his hair fading back to it's original black color as he looked up into his teacher's eyes.

"Mr. Piccolo." He said, looking visibly relieved. "Is Dende around here anywhere?"

"Inside." Piccolo confirmed in a clipped tone. "What happened?"

"I found a girl this morning when I was out flying." Gohan explained as he made his way into the sanctuary to find the young Namekian. "She's hurt really bad, and if she doesn't get help fast she's gonna die."

"Do you know what hurt her?" Piccolo asked. If there was a new threat lurking around the Sons, he wanted to be the first to know about it.

"It looks like she fell through thee trees. I didn't see any signs of a crash or anything, so maybe she got snatched up by a hungry Pteradon and he dropped her on the way back to his nest." Gohan suggested with a frown. The dangers of a dinosaur attack usually kept people away from Mt Paotzu, save for the Sons who the dinosaurs skirted around with the same fearful wariness that most humans avoided them. The nearest he could figure, the girl was likely a lost camper or something who was unlucky enough to wander too far away from the safety of her campsite and became prey to a flying predator. "I can't say for sure though. We'll have to wait until she wakes up to find out what happened to her." 'If' was probably more accurate at this point, but Gohan didn't dare sully his mouth with that word. There had been enough death lately as far as he was concerned, and he didn't fancy seeing any more innocent people killed.

Falling behind the half saiyan, Piccolo frowned to himself as Dende came out to greet his friend, his smile melting away into a look of concern as Gohan began explaining why he was there. Hanging back, Piccolo studied the boy discreetly as he explained the girl's plight to Earth's Guardian. Gohan was in worse shape then he was expecting. There were shadows underneath his eyes, and his usually overwhelming energy was nearly depleted. Piccolo knew he hadn't been sleeping lately, and now he wondered if the boy's eating habits had been altered since his father's death as well. The thought made his frown deepen.

It was far more dangerous for a saiyan to miss a meal then it was for a human, even a half saiyan like Gohan, and while Piccolo would have hoped that he'd taught Gohan better then that when it came to taking care of his body (Or, at the very least, that Son Chichi's terrifyingly sharp eyes would have noticed the change in her son's inhuman appetite), he knew that Gohan's mind had been filled with other problems then his stomach for the past few weeks.

Sighing quietly to himself, Piccolo followed the two youths as they took to the sky in the direction of the Sons' house. Gohan didn't transform this time, since Dende wouldn't have been able to keep up with a super saiyan, which meant that the flight was going to take at least twenty minutes. Ridiculously slow for Piccolo, and practically a snail's pace for Gohan, who was looking visibly anxious to get back to the injured girl he'd found.

"Gohan." Piccolo grunted out, making the boy turn back to him with a questioning look. "Haven't I taught you better then to lose focus over things you can't control? People are always going to die. It's not always going to be pretty, and it's not always going to be fair. Even the strongest of warriors can't do anything to prevent that. Beating yourself up over it isn't going to do anybody any favors." Gohan's eyes widened a little at that, no doubt over the double meaning behind Piccolo's words, before a sad smile made it's way to his young face.

"I understand, Mr. Piccolo." He said quietly, focusing on the horizon before him. While still not completely okay, the boy did seem a little more settled after that, which gave Piccolo no small sense of relief.

Gohan would be okay. It wouldn't be overnight, but eventually he would be okay again.

Now to see if he could say the same for the girl his young student had rescued.

* * *

Hercule was a nervous wreck.

He thought things were finally looking up for him. After years of hard work, he finally managed to become World Champion. Then Cell happened and everything went straight to Hell. People expected him to protect them- he was, after all, the World Champion- but what could he do against a monster like that? In the end, he'd sat by, helpless and cowering, as a boy no older then his daughter saved the world.

And he took credit for it.

A part of Hercule wished he could say he'd hesitated, but the temptation to be the hero rather then just a fighter had been far too great, overpowering his morals and fueling him into lying about what had really taken place that fateful day. After Cell's defeat, Hercule's fame became legendary, and fans and money poured in from far and wide. Unfortunately, now it seemed like he was paying the price for his deceit.

Or, more specifically, his daughter was.

Videl… He thought, wringing his hands as his stomach twisted into knots. His pride and joy. His precious, darling little girl. A part of Hercule still couldn't believe that anyone would be so evil and cruel as to take a child from her home. A part of him, much like his ex-wife, blamed himself for not being there to protect her.

"Some World Savior you are." Lilith had spat at him angrily, eyes red from crying over the fate of her daughter.

Hercule didn't disagree with her.

Rubbing his eyes, Hercule fought off his exhaustion, determined not to sleep until his daughter was safe in his arms once more. The police were putting all their manpower into finding Videl, discreetly so as not to alert the press and tip off the kidnappers who had warned that they would kill the girl if Hercule called the authorities. But when the kidnappers didn't call at the time they told him they would to tell him where to drop off the ransom, Hercule panicked and contacted the police.

Now his daughter had been missing for nearly three days, with no word from her kidnappers or the police on her whereabouts. His ex-wife had been contacted as well, and she now hated him more then ever for not being able to protect their daughter. His relationship with Lilith had been strained ever since the divorce, and now that Videl was kidnapped because of him, whatever was left of it was beyond repair.

That didn't matter anymore though. All that mattered was Videl. He'd trade everything to know that his little girl was safe. His money, his titles- both those that had been fairly earned and the ones he'd received through deception- and the respect and admiration of everyone, including Lilith. None of it was important to him. Not anymore.

He just wanted his daughter back.


	4. Finding Purpose

_Another note going into this chapter;_

_**Senzu Beans-**__ Someone asked me why Videl wasn't simply healed with a Senzu Bean. To answer simply, I just figured that the gang was all out of Senzu Beans after fighting the androids and Cell, given how many they went through in that time frame and how difficult it is for Korin to grow them. So yeah, no magic beans for Videl. Just Dende and some good, old fashion R&R._

*** Finding Purpose ***

Videl felt funny.

She figured that this was mostly because there was something weird about the place she was in. For example, the fact that she was floating, and there was no sky above her and no ground below. Only an endless expanse of white, as far as the eye could see. At first, Videl couldn't help but panic at the fact that she wasn't standing on solid ground, flailing about frantically for a moment before finally realizing that she wasn't falling like she ought to be. That's when the girl started feeling very, VERY confused.

"I see you've finally managed to join me." A voice behind Videl said, making her crane around to see who else was with her. Her eyes widened when she found a lean, purple-skinned man with a white Mohawk smiling at her kindly. "Welcome, Videl Satan. I am pleased to meet you."

Videl would've liked to have returned the sentiments, but she had no idea who this guy was, or more importantly, where she was. The last thing she remembered was trying to get away from those jerks who kidnapped her, and falling out of the plane…

A sudden though hit Videl, making her stomach drop to her shoes.

"Am I dead?" She asked the strange man, a quaver in her voice. It would make sense if she was, given that falling out of a plane wasn't exactly the healthiest thing a person could do, but she rather hoped not. And if this place was supposed to be Heaven, then it was seriously overhyped. To Videl's surprise, the man before her chuckled at her question.

"No, you're not." He assured her, looking amused. "But you're very close to death. Which is why I was able to bring you here to this pocket dimension, in order to speak with you. Don't worry, you'll make a full recovery soon enough and be back on your feet before you know it."

…Oh. Well that was unexpected. Not exactly unwelcome, though.

"So who are you then?" Videl demanded. She was probably being a little rude, but she'd just been kidnapped, told that she had barely lived through a near death experience and was still floating in a creepy whitewashed dimension with a weirdo, so she wasn't really in the mood to play nice.

"My name is Supreme Kai." He said pleasantly, floating closer to her. Unlike Videl, Mohawk seemed perfectly comfortable floating around in nothingness. "I am the one tasked with ruling over the part of the universe in which you reside."

Videl blinked at that a couple of times.

"So… you're like a God or something?" She clarified, gaping openly at the strange being before her.

"In the crudest sense of words, yes." Supreme Kai nodded in confirmation. "And of course, I know all about you, Videl Satan. Enma loaned me everything they have on your record so far. You're the daughter and only child of Hercule and Lilith Satan. Your parents divorced when you were four years old due to a strain on their relationship caused by their lack of money, and you remained in your father's care as your mother left to pursue her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

"Very recently, you began learning martial arts at your father's dojo, and you show enormous potential to improve. There's a stray cat about two blocks away from your home, who you feed every morning on your way home from school. You dislike peas, and scrape them on to your father's plate whenever he's not paying attention so you don't have to eat them yourself. Last summer, you got into a fight with some boys who were picking on your friend Miss Erasa Rubba, and got hurt rather badly, which is why your father agreed to start training you earlier then he originally planned. You have hopes to someday surpass your father and take his place as World Champion, and train diligently to accomplish this goal."

…Actually, it probably wouldn't hurt if Videl was a little nicer to this guy after all.

"You… definitely know a lot about me." Videl admitted weakly, feeling more then a little unnerved. "So… if you're a God, then why am I here? I mean, you said I'm not dead, and I'm willing to bet that you have better things to do then just chat with me about peas and cats."

"Indeed." Supreme Kai agreed, grinning at the girl for a moment before his smile fell away. "The truth is, Videl… I need your help with something."

"My help?" Videl repeated curiously. "With what?"

"Why, saving the world, of course." Supreme Kai answered.

Videl couldn't have heard that right.

"What?" She said, baffled. "You want me to save the world? You do know I'm only 11, right? Who ever heard of an 11 year old saving the world?! If you want someone to do something big like that, wouldn't my dad be the better choice? He did just beat Cell, after all."

"I'm not asking you to save the world yourself, Videl." Supreme Kai chuckled. "And not right away, either. The threat that worries me won't appear for several years yet, and I need your help to ensure that the only warrior with the strength to defeat it possesses the power he needs when that time comes." Supreme Kai's face fell into a more serious expression at that. "To be perfectly honest, it doesn't sit right with me to do things this way, but the Laws of Life state quite clearly that the Kais cannot interfere directly with the mortal worlds. Unfortunately, all previous records show that he does not train seriously unless given a purpose or a goal. We can't afford for him to slack though, not with so much at stake."

"Wait, I'm confused." Videl said, eyebrow pinching together. "Who exactly are you talking about?"

"Why, the savior who defeated Cell, of course." Supreme Kai shrugged. Videl blinked. So all of this was about her dad? Why didn't he just say that in the first place? "I had to scour high and low for a way to ensure that he would continue to train even with the world at peace, and finally I found something in the Destiny Ties that led me to you." Destiny Ties? Before Videl could ask about what those were though, Supreme Kai continued. "Only you have to power to affect him, to keep him getting stronger. That could potentially be the one thing that will save your world, and everyone you love. But I cannot make you do this, Videl. You have to agree to undertake this task all on your own. I can't promise you that it will be easy, but your influence could end up changing everything, and save everyone from a terrible fate."

Videl would be lying if she said she didn't feel a little scared at hearing that. It seemed like an enormous amount of pressure to the girl, and she was honestly terrified that she would screw it up. Still, as scary as it was to think about, she knew there was only one answer she could possibly give.

"I'll do it." She said, a quiver in her voice, but her eyes steely and determined. "I believe in my Daddy. I'll do whatever it takes to help him save the world."

"I'm happy to hear that, Videl." Supreme Kai said with a small smile. "I knew I would be able to rely on you for this. But before I send you back to earth to complete your task, I need to take something from you."

"Take something?" Videl repeated, suddenly becoming suspicious. "It's not my soul or something, is it? Because if that's the case, then the deal's off." Supreme Kai looked momentarily startled at that, before an exasperated look crossed his face.

"No it's not your soul!" He said with a huff. "What kind of monster do you take me for?"

Videl felt it wise not to answer that.

Shaking his head, Supreme Kai floated closer and placed a hand on Videl's forehead. A strange magic pulsed through Videl and, a moment later when the strange being withdrew his hand, it was holding some strange, glowing white light.

"What… what is that?!" Videl demanded with a sputter.

"This is the part of you that will remain here with me while you complete your mission." Supreme Kai explained. Squinting suspiciously, Videl opened her mouth, only to have the Kai cut her off with a flat, humorless look. "No. It is not your soul." Not looking entirely convinced, Videl closed her mouth nonetheless. "I will return it to you once your task has been completed. Until then, it will be kept in the Otherworld, safe with me."

"You still haven't told me what it is." Videl complained. Sure, she didn't feel any different, but she wasn't exactly comfortable with knowing that a part of her being had been separated from her and was basically being held hostage. "Is this how you treat everyone who does you a favor?"

"Our time is up, so I must send you back to Earth now." Supreme Kai told her, ignoring the question. "Good luck, Videl. I will see you again once your task is complete." And with that, both Supreme Kai and Videl began to fade out of the dimension, their bodies slowly going transparent as they were pulled back into their separate worlds.

"What? Hey, I'm not done talking to you! Wait! Get back here!"

And once again, Videl knew no more.

* * *

Gohan was humming absently to himself as he tapped the end of his pencil against his desk, eyes fixed on the book before him and posture relaxed and at ease. Chi-chi couldn't help but smile a bit at the sight. It was a huge relief to see her son acting like himself again. It felt like it had been far too long since Gohan wasn't burdened by something or another that she had no way of helping him with.

"Snack time!" Chi-chi announced cheerfully as she entered the room. Gohan's tapping and humming stopped immediately as he turned to his mother with a warm smile when Chi-chi swept to his side, setting the plate of food down next to him. "I hope my little scholar isn't too hungry?"

"No more then usual." Gohan replied with a sheepish chuckle as he eluded to his inhuman appetite. "Thanks, Mom." Chi-chi beamed at Gohan in response as he began to sample the dishes she'd prepared for him. Seeing her son eating regularly again was a welcome relief to the Son matriarch, who had been trying every trick she knew to get Gohan to have more then a mouthful of food here and there.

"And how's our patient been today?" Chi-chi asked, glancing at the form occupying her son's bed.

"Still about the same." Gohan replied after swallowing a bite of apple. "Her Ki feels a little better now, though. Not as weak anymore. Hopefully, she might wake up soon."

"Hopefully." Chi-chi agreed, brushing the girl's bangs absently.

The Namekian healer was a miracle worker. While he admitted that the damage done to the girl's body was too extensive for him to heal all of it, he had been able to fix the worse of her injuries and left the rest to heal naturally. That had been nearly three days ago, and now there wasn't a scratch on the girl and her bruises had almost faded away completely. Unfortunately, the girl had yet to open her eyes, much to the dismay of her caretakers.

"It might take a while before she wakes up." Dende had said apologetically, still looking a bit troubled that he couldn't help the girl more despite the fact that Gohan and Chi-chi both had assured him that the help he had given so far was more then enough. Indeed, Piccolo had been forced to stop the young Guardian after a while, to make sure he'd still have the energy to fly back to the Lookout.

At the thought of the Namekian warrior, Chi-chi's lips pulled into a slight frown. Not out of resentment to her husband's one-time arch-nemesis since she had long since lost her hold on any grudges she had against him (the fact that he'd sacrificed himself for Gohan, and would do so again without question or regret had gone a long way towards painting the former villain in a favorable light in Chi-chi's eyes), but rather because of the conversation she'd had with him in secret while Dende worked on healing the girl and Gohan hovered closely to his alien friend.

"I don't know what brought that girl this far up the mountains." Chichi had whispered urgently to the stoic warrior. "But it wasn't anything good. And it wasn't an animal, either. She had rope burns on her wrists, Piccolo. Animals don't tie people up when they grab them, not even the Pteradons."

"No." Piccolo agreed, eyes narrowing slightly. "They don't."

"I can't imagine what kind of sicko would snatch a pretty little girl like that and leave her to die in the forest." Chi-chi fumed. "Honestly! I can't believe what the human race has come to sometimes. And that my family is always out there risking their lives so that people like this can be safe-!"

"Don't." Piccolo warned. "We both know that Gohan already feels guilty enough over what transpired. Don't say anything that will make it worse." Chi-chi huffed at that, an embarrassed flush coloring her cheeks at being scolded by a creature that once tried to take over the world.

"I'm not saying it's Gohan's fault." She defended herself stiffly. "I'd never say something like that!"

"What you mean to say and what others hear are often two very different things." Piccolo said flatly. "Especially Gohan. Kid has a bad habit of blaming himself for things he can't control."

Like that wasn't something Chi-chi knew already.

"Look, can you just look into this?" Chi-chi demanded, giving a nervous glance at the three children in her son's room. "I don't want Gohan to try and go looking for these people all by himself." It was probably a silly thing to be worried about, at least in the eyes of most of Goku's friends. Gohan was more then strong enough to take on anything that tried to threaten him. Physically, that is. Mentally, the boy was hanging by a thread, and Chi-chi was terrified of what would happen to her son if that thread were to snap.

"I'll do what I can." Piccolo promised.

Surprisingly, that was enough to satisfy Chi-chi.

"Mom?" jolted out of her thoughts at her son's concerned probe, Chi-chi turned to find Gohan staring at her with a worried look. "Mom, are you alright? You've been kind of off lately. Maybe you should get some rest."

"Don't be silly Gohan, I'm fine!" Chi-chi insisted, giving her son a stern look. "Now shouldn't you be finishing up your studies? You promised you'd get all your work done if I let you stay in here to keep an eye on the girl, remember?" Flinching, Gohan hastily turned back to his book to continue with his reading. "Now that's more like it." Chi-chi said approvingly as she picked up the tray of empty dishes. "I'm going to run down to the store for a bit. Be sure to keep an eye on everything here, alright?"

"I will." Gohan promised, making Chi-chi smile as her son turned her attention to the prone form on his bed. "I want to be here when she wakes up. She's probably gonna be scared, since she doesn't know where she is right now."

She almost felt guilty for it, but a part of her was relieved that the girl had fallen into her son's life. Gohan was the kind of person who always functioned better when he was helping others. It gave him a purpose, and made him happy when he knew that he could do something for someone that didn't involve fighting. That was the reason her son was constantly bringing home sick and injured animals, though he knew it would get him scolded by Chi-chi. Still, the woman couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as well when it came to her sweet, gentle little boy. It warmed her to know that her son was so kind and selfless.

"I'll be back soon." Chi-chi promised, giving Gohan a peck on the cheek. "Behave yourself while I'm gone, alright?"

"Sure thing, Mom." Gohan chuckled, smiling a bit as he watched her leave. As soon as she closed the door behind her, Gohan turned his attention back to the figure on the bed. "Sorry 'bout all of that. It must be kinda embarrassing to be in the room with all that going on, huh?" Gohan asked the silent girl sheepishly. "Mom can be kinda fussy and strict. Sometimes it's kinda scary, but I know she only does it because she cares about me, so I don't mind that much." As was usual in the past three days, the girl on the bed didn't reply to the half saiyan.

Most people would probably think it was strange, talking to someone who was unconscious, but Gohan found his one-sided conversations with the girl oddly therapeutic. He still wished he could've found out more about where the girl had come from, but Piccolo was pretty insistent on looking into it on his own, ordering Gohan to keep watch over the girl so that they knew the second she awoke. A far more boring job comparatively speaking, but Gohan didn't mind. It made him happy to see the slow but sure recovery of the girl he'd saved.

Gohan knew that he and his friends saved people all the time, but usually it was in a big-picture sort of way. They were saving the whole world, not just individuals. Helping out just one person… it probably didn't seem as important or amazing as the big, flashy fights he usually took part in, but somehow Gohan felt much happier doing that. It felt more personal that way, more like a choice on his part and less like some kind of duty he'd inherited from his father. Something that was expected of him due to his heritage, which left him feeling terrified and overwhelmed.

As Gohan was brooding about this, he almost missed the small sound that came from the bed. It would've been inaudible to human ears, but saiyans were blessed with sharper senses and Gohan's immediately zeroed in on the girl as her eyes began to flutter open.

In the blink of an eye, Gohan was on his feet and at the girl's side as consciousness slowly came back to the bedridden girl. Once she was awake enough to focus on him, Gohan gave the girl a small, encouraging smile.

"Hey, you're awake!" He said in an approving tone. "How are you feeling? You were in pretty bad shape when I found you." Confusion flashed across the girl's face at that and she opened her mouth only to make a weak, hoarse noise. Gohan grimaced. Of course. He'd forgotten that it had been days since the girl had drank any water, or eaten food. Hastily, Gohan snatched a glass of water from the table and brought it back to the bed, gently helping the girl lean up a little with one arm before presenting her with the glass. "Drink slow, okay?" He advised her, noticing the almost desperate look in the girl's eyes when she saw the water.

Several minutes later, with Gohan forcing her to take small sips, the girl finally managed to drain every last drop from the glass. Gohan set the glass aside and stood, letting the girl go carefully and sighing in relief when she swayed a bit, but remained upright.

"You're probably hungry too, huh?" Gohan said, smiling gently. "I'll see what we have to eat. Wait right here, I'll be back in a second." Gohan turned to leave for the kitchen after saying that, but before he even reached the door a weak voice gave him pause.

"Where am I?" the girl asked, her voice practically inaudible from disuse.

"Mount Paotzu." Gohan answered after turning around to face the girl again. "My name's Son Gohan. I found you in the forest a few days ago. You took a pretty nasty fall through the trees, from the looks of things."

"Gohan…" The girl repeated slowly. Said boy smiled at her and nodded.

"Yep, that's me." He said. "My Mom lives here too, but she's out right now. She'll be back in a couple of hours, though." Going back to the girl's side, Gohan sat at the edge of the bed. "What about you? What's your name?"

"My… name?" The girl repeated, looking dazed for a second before her face twisted into a look of confused frustration. "I… my name is…"

"H-hey? Are you-?" Gohan was starting to get worried at the girl's odd behavior, only to have it quickly replaced by alarm when the girl pitched forward with a pained scream, clutching her head like she was afraid it would fall off. "H-HEY!" Gohan yelped, jumping to grab the girl by her shoulders. "What are you-?!"

"I don't know!" The girl said, looking up at Gohan again with wide, frightened blue eyes that made the half saiyan go still. "I don't know my name! I can't remember it! I can't remember anything!" Gohan froze at that, shock coursing though his body as the girl began to tremble in a combination of fear and shock. Slowly, the young warrior shook himself out of his stupor and took in the sight of the frightened girl before him. Biting his lip, Gohan gave the girl's shoulders a gentle squeeze, mindful of her injuries and his super strength.

He wanted to tell her not to worry, but he knew that those words weren't fair since she had every right in the world to worry about something like that. For all he'd been through, he couldn't imagine how scary it'd be to wake up and not have any memory of who he was, or where he came from.

"Hey now. It's going to be okay." He said instead, slowly and quietly. "I'm going to help you, alright? I promise." These words made the girl tear up, before she threw herself at the half saiyan with a tragic wail, sobbing into his shoulder as she clutched him like a lifeline. Gohan carefully hugged her back, troubled thoughts making the young warrior frown deeply. He had every intention of keeping his promise. He would help this girl get her memories back, whatever it took.

But how he would accomplish that, Gohan had no idea.


	5. Losing Purpose

Thank you SO much for all the fantastic support for this story! I'm seeing a lot of people who seem somewhere between excited and cautiously optimistic about this fic, which is great because I'm having a lot of fun writing it. We're going to start getting to the juicy stuff soon, but until them please continue to review and tell me what you think!

*** Losing Purpose ***

She didn't know where she was. She didn't know where she came from. She didn't even know who she was. But one thing she did know?

Weird green men who lived way up above the clouds were NOT a normal thing.

"Amnesia?" The small green boy said with a thoughtful frown, putting a glowing hand against her forehead. She watched warily, but didn't swat him away. So far, Gohan and his mom had done a lot to help her, and she didn't think that they would bring her to this Dende boy if they thought he was going to hurt her. Or, more specifically, Gohan wouldn't have brought her here. On a little yellow cloud he called Nimbus.

Weird was definitely the word of the day today…

"Yeah. Probably from the fall or something." Gohan suggested from where he stood at her side, flashing her a warm, encouraging smile at her anxious look as he ate the cookies that Mr. Popo had given him upon their arrival."I was hoping maybe you could heal it for her, or at least try and see if you can learn something about her past so we can help her. Piccolo and I haven't been able to find any clues about where she came from or how she ended up on the mountains, but I'm sure she's got a family somewhere out there looking for her."

Did she? She couldn't remember them, if they did exist, and her stomach knotted at the thought of being dumped in a house full of people she didn't know, claiming to be her family. Gohan and his friends were weird, but they were nice and had taken care of her, and she really appreciated that. All of it. Both the big things, like Gohan saving her life, and the little, like the way Chichi had taken some of her old clothes out of storage and taken them in so that a nameless little girl could have something to wear other then the tattered, bloody rags she'd been found in. As she sat there in that cheongsam Chichi had spent all night tailoring so that it fit the girl perfectly, Gohan standing supportively nearby, the girl found that she didn't want to leave them just yet, even for people who were supposed to be her family.

As she worried over this possibility, Dende withdrew his hand with a troubled frown, the glow fading as his eyes narrowed.

"No." The green healer said, shaking his head. The girl wasn't sure if she was more disappointed or relieved to hear that word.

"Oh, you can't heal her?" Gohan looked visibly disappointed at that.

"No one can." Dende said grimly. "Because she doesn't have amnesia. Her memories aren't there at all. Someone- or something- has stolen them away."

"What?" Gohan said, flabbergasted. "Stolen? Are you sure?"

"Either that, or she never had any memories to begin with, which is far less likely." Dende responded with a sigh. "But what concerns me is that whatever did this, it did it between the last time I healed her and now. I was very thorough in checking if there was any kind of damage to her mind when you first brought me to heal her, and I didn't notice anything missing at that time."

"But… that's impossible!" Gohan said, shaking his head in denial. "I was there with her the whole time! I never left the house once when she was unconscious! I was never farther then the next room away! No one ever came close to her!"

"I don't doubt that you would have noticed any intrusion into your home, Gohan." Interrupted the tall Namekian who, until then, had been watching the three children silently from the corner of the room. "But if the girl's memories were stolen, then we can likely assume that it was by a foe unlike any we've met before. The act of robbing someone of their memories without killing them should be impossible. It's one thing to block off or change certain memories in a person's mind, but removing them entirely is something completely different. It would take great power to do something like that. Power I'm certain does not exist within any being that walks the earth." Gohan grimaced at that. In his experience, mysterious powers from other worlds were rarely a good thing, unless it was something like the dragon balls. Speaking of which…

"Do you think then that maybe we could use the dragon balls to wish for her memories to return?" Gohan suggested.

"It's possible. It should be within Shenron's power to accomplish something like that." Dende agreed. "But since the dragon balls were just used not long ago, you'll have to wait almost a year until they're active again."

"Whoa, back up." The girl said, beyond lost at this point. She had been following the conversation pretty well up until this point despite the fact that it all sounded a little crazy, but between the magic cloud and the glowing, healing hands she was just about willing to believe just about anything these people told her right about now, even if it involved invisible men breaking into her brain and stealing her memories. But still… "Dragon balls? Wishes?"

"It's kind of a long story…" Gohan said with a nervous smile at the girl.

"Dragon balls are magic stones that are scattered all around the world. You find all seven, and you get two wishes from the Eternal Dragon Shenron." Piccolo answered her flatly.

"…unless Piccolo's the one telling it." Gohan amended sheepishly as Dende chuckled silently next to him. "Anyways, I guess this means we have to wait until the dragon balls become active again before we can do anything about your memories. Until then, you can stay with me and mom."

"Are you sure?" The girl asked anxiously. "I mean, you guys have done a lot for me already, and I don't want to be a burden…"

"You're no burden at all!" Gohan disagreed with her enthusiastically. "It'll be fun to have someone else stay with us! There's lots of fun stuff to do on Mt. Paotzu… Oh, hey! I can introduce you to Icarus!" Now that they had a workable plan of action (or at least, she was taking their word that this dragon ball stuff would work, anyways) Gohan seemed to be in pretty high spirits again. His excitement was infectious, and the girl found herself grinning back at him as he began planning out all the fun stuff the two of them could do during her extended stay with the Sons.

"Gohan." Piccolo interrupted, making both children turn to the tall Namekian, who's stoic face looked even more troubled then usual. "Keep in mind that whatever took this girl's memories did so right under all of our noses. If she's gonna be sticking around, then they might come back to finish what they started." Shifting his glance, Piccolo then met the girl's eyes, and she couldn't help but stiffen a bit at being pinned by the green man's glare. "Be sure to stay on your guard, kid."

"Right." Gohan said, eyes determined and serious. "Don't worry, Piccolo. I'll keep alert." Nodding the Namekian turned away and walked to the edge of the Lookout to sit lotus style with his arms crossed apparently, this was the cue that it was their time to leave, since Gohan then turned to his mysterious houseguest with a warm smile. "Anyways, we should probably get back home before mom starts to worry. She's probably started making lunch by now." The girl brightened visibly at the mention of Chi-chi's cooking, making Gohan grin a bit before waving to the residence of the Lookout. "Bye Piccolo, bye Dende, bye Mr. Popo. Thank you for all your help!"

Piccolo gave a nearly inaudible grunt as Dende protested that he hadn't done anything to deserve the half saiyan's gratitude and Mr. Popo merely smiled with patient amusement as Gohan wrapped an arm securely around his companion's waist and flew them back down to Korin's Tower, where Nimbus waited patiently for their return. As soon as both youths were seated, the cloud happily shot off towards Mt. Paotzu, where Chi-chi was undoubtably waiting.

Once again, the girl found herself stuck speechless by the wonders of flight. Hair streaming behind her, the leaned a little bit past Gohan's shoulder to watch the world that was speeding by below, a blur of green and blue. She grinned widely at a passing hawk, giggling slightly when it did a double-take and nearly fell out of the sky in it's shock at seeing two young humans breeze past it on a cloud. The sound made Gohan glance back at her, a gentle smile on his face that made her cheeks color for reasons the girl didn't quite understand.

"What?" She demanded, hoping he didn't notice her sudden embarrassment.

"Nothing." Gohan chuckled. "I'm just glad you seem to like flying so much. I was worried that you wouldn't, considering you got hurt from some kind of fall." That earned Gohan a shrug from his companion.

"I don't remember getting hurt, and I was pretty much all better by the time I woke up. Maybe that's why I'm not scared. Besides, we're flying, not falling. There is a difference, you know." Gohan laughed at that, making the girl grin.

"Yeah, I guess there is." He agreed cheerfully before brightening. "Hey, what do you say we have a race back home?"

"A race?" the girl repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep!" Gohan confirmed, beaming at the girl before jumping off the cloud. She almost gave a shout, but stopped herself as the boy continued on flying alongside her and the cloud, completely unaided.

_That's right._ She scolded herself mentally. _I forgot he can fly on his own._ While that was far from the only thing she'd forgotten, she still felt a little foolish for almost panicking the way she had.

"Last on home's a rotten egg." Gohan goaded her with a taunting grin before taking off.

"Hey!" The girl complained with a laugh as she watched her strange savior fly ahead. Grinning, she gripped the cloud below her tightly. "Well, Nimbus? You're not gonna let him get away with that, are you?" The cloud gave a strange chirp in response to her question before rocketing after Gohan, it's passenger laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

Memories or no memories, she had a feeling she was in good hands.

* * *

Hercule stared belligerently at the nearly empty bottle before him, eyes red and blurred. Despite the fact that it was still midday, the room he sat in was dark, blinds drawn and TV off. All would have been silent, if it wasn't for the shouts and cheers coming from outside. Hercule scoffed in disgust at the sound that had once filled him with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Now it only seemed to mock him.

_Isn't this what you wanted?_ An evil voice whispered mockingly in his mind. _What you lied to obtain? What you would give anything to have?_ Growling, Hercule began to pace, hating himself more then ever at that though. If he knew the price of infamy would be so high, then he never would have agreed to pay it. He would've been content with what he had. Because now, those cheers he'd once craved so badly were just background noise, static that couldn't drown out the self loathing that had come with the knowledge that his little girl wasn't coming back to him.

"We're sorry, Mr. Satan." The police chief had told him solemnly as he handed him one of the hair bands he'd given Videl as a present before the 24th WMAT. "We did our best, but if what those men say is true, she was dead before anyone even knew that she was missing to begin with. We'll send our men out to try to recover her body, to give her a proper burial, but if she really was lost over the ocean like the kidnappers claim, then chances of finding her aren't very good."

There was more they told him about after that. A press conference about his daughter's death- now that they had the bastards who took her, and Videl was confirmed to be- Videl wasn't coming back, they couldn't hide the truth about her disappearance any longer. The conference hadn't taken place yet, but he had already told a few people the truth. Lilith, who had fallen sobbing into his arms at the knowledge that their daughter was well and truly gone, and Erasa and Sharpner, Videl's close friends, who had been by every day hoping for news of his little girl's whereabouts.

He had hoped and wished and prayed with all his might to give them good news, to no avail. Videl was gone. Because he was greedy and lied to the world. And because three slimy bastards were greedy enough to take a little girl from her home. His innocent daughter was forced to pay the price of other people's crimes.

Collapsing into an arm chair, Hercule gazed up blankly at the ceiling. He had no idea what he was going to do now. Where he was supposed to go from the place he was now in. Everything he thought he wanted was no longer important to him, and the one thing he loved more then anything had been taken from him forever, and it was all his fault. Not even the fact that the police had granted him an hour alone to 'speak' with the scum who had taken his daughter had done anything to alleviate the pain he was now feeling over that fact. He had hit them until his fists were bloody, but it didn't change what had happened.

Nothing could now.

Growling in frustration, Hercule threw his bottle across the room, where it crashed into the TV, which flickered to life and filled the room with the sound of his laugh. The Champion glared loathingly at his face on the screen, full of confidence and bravado.

The tape from the Cell Games. Of course.

Suddenly, almost irrationally, Hercule felt the anger drain from him- both self-directed and otherwise, leaving behind only an overwhelming sense of sadness. Burying his face in his hand, the man began to cry. He couldn't control it. Didn't even try to. He just sat there sobbing, his wails of agony drowning out the crowd outside and even the TV before him.

_I'm pathetic._ He realized, disgust making his stomach turn. What kind of Champion hid and coward while a little boy fought to save the world? What kind of father couldn't even protect his own flesh and blood? He was the world's biggest failure. A fraud of a man who sat upon fool's gold and crowed about his own greatness as others did the work.

Suddenly, it occurred to Hercule that his wasn't the only voice in the room. The was a scream, so full of pain and fear that it made even Hercule stop short. He knew this cry. He'd only heard it the one time- he never felt comfortable with watching the last part of the video, since it forced him to see the true face of the world savior- but this was a sound he could never forget, not even if he lived to be a hundred. Slowly, as if caught under a spell, Hercule raised his head and watched once more in stunned silence as power flamed around the child on the screen before the tape abruptly cut out and he was left staring at a glowing blue screen.

Despite the fact that the video had ended, Hercule could still see the fight playing out before his eyes. The boy turning his awesome power on Cell, Cell threatening to blow up the planet, Cell and the strange blond man disappearing, and Cell coming back to attack again.

The boy defeating Cell.

And then, it was all over. Cell was gone, and all the people who had fallen to him returned. It was one of the great mysteries of what had happened in those few days. Hercule himself had no idea what had happened to bring back all of Cell's victims, and found himself agreeing with the theory that Cell hadn't actually killed anybody, merely put them in a coma. Still, he could never bring himself to fully believe that, and a part of him still wondered if perhaps earth's true heroes had preformed one last miracle before slipping back to wherever they had come from.

Hercule shook his head at that, disgusted with himself for that thought. The fighters from the Cell Games had many powers he didn't understand, but bringing the dead back? That was impossible, even for them. And even if they could do it, why would they help him, the man who had stolen their credit and called them a bunch of liars?

Even so, a part of him couldn't help but wonder…

"Please." He whispered, his voice trembling and hoarse. "I know I don't deserve it, but if there's any way you guys can hear me, please bring my daughter back home. I'll give anything to have Videl back again. Anything. So please…" Closing his eyes, Hercule sat there unmoving, a defeated man. Never in his life had he ever felt so weak and helpless, not even against Cell.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

As the Champion sat there, miserable, broken and alone, he was completely unaware of the eyes watching him from the Otherworld. Supreme Kai, on the other hand, found himself unable to overlook the human's suffering. Suffering which he had caused.

"Forgive me, please." He begged to the motionless man a world away. "But Videl's strength is needed elsewhere for now. For the greater good. I know what I am doing is difficult for you, but please try to understand that I must save as many souls as I possibly can."

Hercule couldn't hear him, of course, and Supreme Kai didn't feel any better about the suffering his plan had caused the man. Nevertheless, everything was already in motion and it was too late for him to back out now.

Turning away from the fallen Champ, Supreme Kai turned his focus miles and miles away on Gohan and Videl, who had just landed again outside the Son's home and were laughing together in carefree innocence over their race. A heartbeat after the two had touched down, Chi-chi was outside to greet them, a wooden spoon in her hand and a smile on her face as the children approached.

Though it was part of his intention, he was still surprised at the healing effect Videl had had on the grieving family that had taken her in. He shouldn't have been though, really. Everything he knew about the Son matriarch and her boy had told him that they were both nurturers by nature, and that their first instincts were always to heal those who had been left weak, scared and alone and to give them a place where they could feel safe. Chi-chi and Gohan felt happier when they had that kind of purpose, working ten times as hard to benefit others then they ever did to serve themselves. That, combined with the strength and moral integrity the boy had inherited from his father, was one of many reasons it was decided that Gohan would be the Chosen Warrior.

But unfortunately, he was not yet strong enough. And if he did not find the incentive to train his great power farther still, he never would be.

"We're all counting on you, Videl." Supreme Kai said quietly to the girl as Chi-chi ushered the pair inside to the meal she'd prepared. "Please come through for us. I beg of you."

Because if she could not, then everyone was doomed.


	6. Finding Fights

**Finding Fights**

"So Dende couldn't help after all, huh?" Chi-chi frowned in sympathy at the girl, who was trying to pay attention to the conversation she was having with the woman. Which wasn't as easy as it should have been, since she kept getting distracted with watching Gohan inhale his food.

_How does he not explode after eating all that? _The girl wondered with morbid fascination as she watched his stack of empty plates inch higher and higher to the ceiling.

"Um, yeah." She said, forcing herself to look away from the boy to focus on his mother. "But they think that the dragon balls can help me."

"I suppose that means we'll have to wait for Piccolo to find some clues about where you came from, and how you ended up half dead on Mt Paozu." Chi-chi said with a little sigh.

"I can help too, Mom." Gohan reminded the woman, apparently having finally finished his one man feast. "If me and Piccolo both look together-!"

"'Piccolo and I,' Gohan." Chi-chi corrected her son sharply as she began to gather the empty plates. "And you'll be doing no such thing, young man. Now that everything is peaceful again, Piccolo doesn't have anything better to do with his time. You, on the other hand, have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on. I won't have you falling behind on your studies."

"Aww, but Mom-!"

"Don't you 'but Mom' me, Son Gohan. Piccolo will manage without you this time." Chi-chi snapped with a stern glare at the boy before depositing the tableware in the sink and turning on the water.

"It's okay, Gohan." The girl assured him with a smile. "I'm sure that your friend will find out where I'm from in no time at all." She certainly got the impression that the Namekian warrior wanted her out of their hair as soon as possible, anyways.

"Until then, you're more than welcome to stay here as our guest, young lady." Chi-chi insisted, smiling over her shoulder at the blue eyed girl as she cleaned the spent dishes with a speed that rivaled the one her son had used to clear the table of anything edible. "We will need to pick up a few things for your stay here, though. I don't have any more old clothes I can adjust to your size, so we'll have to speak with Pear. And we'll be needing more food as well. I suppose we'll need to look at bedding too, since our futons are all old and in pretty bad shape. We don't get many visitors other than Goku's friends and my father."

"I can take care of the food." Gohan volunteered. "It won't take long to hunt and forge, and there's lots of fish this time of the year."

"If it's too much, I can find somewhere else to go." The girl said, shifting around uncomfortably. She had been thrilled when Gohan had suggested that she stay with the Sons, but she hadn't considered the drain that she would be on the pair.

"Oh don't be silly, dear." Chi-chi said, the corners of her mouth lifting into a smile. "We're more than happy to have you stay here with us. I could never live with myself if I turned my back on a child in need of help. Don't worry about the expenses sweetie, that's my job to think about, and if I can manage to feed my husband and son without breaking the bank, then supporting you for a while will be a breeze." The girl frowned a little at the shadow of sadness that passed Chi-chi's face as she mentioned her husband. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of Gohan's father since she first woke up in the Son home, and there hadn't been any mention of him during her stay so far. Curiosity swelled in the girl at the whereabouts of the Son Patriarch, but before she could ask, Chi-chi began speaking again. "Though there is one thing I would like you to do for me, now that I think about it."

"Yes?" The girl asked, heart jumping into her throat in surprise.

"Well it's just... I understand that you don't remember what your name is, but it would probably help if Gohan and I had something to call you. Is there a name you'd like us to use, until we find out who you really are?" that got Chi-chi a startled look from the little girl. She hadn't been expecting that one, but now that she thought about it, she definitely needed something to call herself.

Problem was, she had no idea what to choose.

"I..." She started, squirming uncomfortably as the Sons waited for her answer. "I don't know."

"You can't think of any name you'd like to use?" Gohan asked, though not unkindly.

"Most people don't have to pick their names out for themselves, you know." She reminded him with a dirty look. "I mean, can you think of a name you'd like to go by, other than Gohan?"

"No." Gohan answered after considering the question for a moment. "Gohan was the name of the martial artist who found and adopted my dad when he was just a baby. I never met him, but I'm proud to share his name, and I wouldn't want to go by anything else."

"What do you mean he found your dad?" The girl asked curiously.

"Goku was actually in a situation a lot like yours when he was little." Chi-chi answered for Gohan as she finished wiping the last dish clean and turned the water off. Drying off her hands, she then proceeded to put the dishes back into their proper cupboard before rejoining the pair at the table. "He was left on the mountains as a baby, and Son Gohan found him all on his own and took him in as his grandson. He gave him the name Goku, and taught him how to fight."

"Sounds like he was a really amazing guy." The girl said with a warm smile. "And you really live up to the name too, huh Gohan?" That earned her a blush from the half-saiyan, which gave her an idea. "Well then, if the other Gohan named your dad after finding him, then maybe you should be the one to give me a name, since you found me." Gohan's sheepish expression gave way to alarm at that suggestion, making the girl grin.

"What?!" He said, eyes wide with shock.

"Oh, that's an excellent idea!" Chi-chi exclaimed, beaming at the girl before turning her attention to her son. Gohan felt himself starting to sweat as both females gazed at him expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"Um..." Gohan flustered about, looking between the two as he tried to think of something. He felt far more pressure than he probably should have, considering that he had defeated Cell and saved the world a little more than a month earlier.

Focusing on the girl who had put him on the spot, Gohan pouted a bit at the sight of her grin, but it wasn't long before he found himself returning the smile as he noticed the way her bright blue eyes danced with silent laughter at his predicament. Unbidden, Gohan found himself thinking back to the playful race he'd had with her earlier that morning. The sight of the girl on the Nimbus, laughing and smiling as she flew through the air. The way she had made him think of...

"Sialia." Gohan finally offered. Chi-chi and the blue-eyed girl both gave him confused looks at the odd suggestion.

"Sialia?" Chi-chi repeated, glancing at the girl to see what she thought of the strange name.

"That doesn't sound like a real name to me..." she said giving Gohan a puzzled look.

"It is!" Gohan reassured her, cheeks coloring. "It's just... it's a scientific name. For the, um... The bluebird. Like the _Sialia sialis_."

"A bluebird?" The girl repeated faintly. A part of her wondered why on earth Gohan would know something like that. A bigger part of her wanted to know why Gohan thought the name suited her.

"You have blue eyes." Gohan explained awkwardly, as if reading her thoughts. "And you like flying. So I just kinda... We can think of something else, if you don't like it."

"I think it's a lovely name." Chi-chi spoke up encouragingly, smiling at the girl. "After all, you've been like a little Bluebird of Happiness for me and Gohan ever since we found you." The girl blushed brightly at that, and Gohan looking as though he desperately wished the earth would swallow him whole.

"Sialia..." the girl said, tasting the way the word felt on her tongue. It was different, but not in an unpleasant kind of way. She mouthed the name silently a few more times as though testing it, before smiling widely. "It's weird, but I actually really like it. It's better than anything I was coming up with, anyway." The girl gave a grin at Gohan, who looked at her with a mix of surprise and delight. "Sialia it is."

"Then it's settled!" Chi-chi said happily before rising to her feet. "And now that THAT little bit of business is behind us, we need to get everything else sorted out for your stay here, which means going down to the village. We better hurry if we want to make it back before dinner. Let's go then, Gohan. You too, Sialia."

"Yes, Ma'am." Both youths replied in unison, grinning at each other in amusement before following Chi-chi out the door.

_Sialia._ The girl thought to herself, oddly pleased with the strange name. Somehow, it made her feel more like a part of the fun but unusual world she had fallen into. As she fell into step alongside Gohan and his mother, the newly named Sialia couldn't help but glance at the pair. It was probably a little presumptuous of her, but the girl couldn't help but hope, even if it was just to herself... _Son Sialia._

Yeah. That had a nice ring to it, alright.

* * *

She felt like she was under a magnifying glass.

A little self-conscious, Sialia ducked behind Gohan to hide as Chichi led them both through the village. There weren't many people living in the settlement at the foot of the mountain, but each and every one of them was staring at her in open curiosity.

"I guess you guys don't see many strangers around here, huh?" Sialia muttered to Gohan, earning a chuckle and a grin from her savior.

"Not really." Gohan admitted freely. "Mt. Paozu is pretty dangerous if you don't know the land, so most people outside of my family steer clear of it." Considering what she'd seen during their walk to the village, that really didn't surprise Sialia much.

The trek down Mt. Paozu was not a quick or easy one. Even after they made it through the seemingly endless forest that surrounded the Son's home and found a road, they still ended up walking for over an hour before they found the nearest town. And to make matters worse, they were under constant threat from predators the entire time. A large, hungry dinosaur even came close to making a snack out of Sialia, before Gohan scared it away, and a Saber-toothed Tiger had jumped at them from an underbrush, only to twist in the air comically and flee back the way it came once it got a good look at the group it was attacking.

"Why do you guys live way up there, anyways?" Sialia wondered to her friend. "I mean, it's really far from any other people, and it can't be safe living around so many dangerous predators."

"It's where my dad grew up." Gohan answered, smiling softening a bit wistfully. "After he and mom got married, they built a house up there for us, and we've lived there since I was born. I can't imagine living anywhere else now. Besides, the animals aren't a problem, if you know how to handle them, and we have capsule cars and the nimbus if we ever have to travel really far, so it's not as inconvenient as you might think to live so far from everyone else."

Sialia fell silent as she considered that. A part of her still wanted to ask about Gohan's mysterious father, but she worried that the question would be seen as intrusive since Gohan and Chi-chi seemed a little upset every time they spoke of the man. The blue-eyed girl didn't want to say anything that would make either of the Sons hate her, so for the time being she held her tongue on the subject. Unfortunately, that didn't stop all the different scenarios from running through her head to try and explain the absence of the man in question.

_Maybe he left them?_ Sialia wondered. Something about the idea of a parent leaving seemed familiar to her for some reason. Maybe one of her own parents left her behind? That idea made the blue-eyed girl frown to herself.

What if that was why she had been left to die on the mountain? Because her parents didn't want her anymore and ditched her there, where no one would be able to find her ever again?

"Here we are!" Chi-chi said pleasantly, startling Sialia out of her depressing thoughts. Turning back to the children, Chi-chi smiled at Sialia, kindness glowing in her eyes. "This is where Pear, the village tailor, lives and works. She'll be able to help us put together a new wardrobe for you. Gohan, dear, why don't you run ahead and see what you can find in the grocery store? This is probably going to take some time…"

"Yes, mom." Gohan agreed, flashing one last encouraging smile at Sialia, who grinned back nervously before following Chichi through the door.

The interior of the tailor's shop was surprisingly simple. The front had a small sitting area, with a coffee table, a couch and a pair of arm chairs, and towards the back a row of dressmaker dummies displayed traditional dresses, blouses and shirts. Bolts of silk of every imaginable color and pattern lined the walls above cabinets which organized buttons, lace, threads and various other knickknacks. As Sialia stopped to admire a red qipao on display, a woman with graying brown hair and dark eyes came out from a room in the back, wiping her hands on a towel with an openly curious look on her face, which brightened into a smile at the sight of the Son matriarch.

"Chi-chi!" She exclaimed, crossing the room to hug the younger woman. "What a surprise! I wasn't expecting to see you today!"

"It's been too long, Pear." Chi-chi agreed with a warm laugh as she returned the hug. "I hope you don't mind taking a new commission last minute. I'm afraid it's pretty urgent."

"If it's for you and little Gohan? It's no trouble at all!" Pear replied as she and Chi-chi parted.

"No, not for us." Pear looked momentarily confused as Chi-chi shook her head before the young mother moved towards Sialia and placed her hands on her shoulder. "This young lady here will be living with us for a while, and needs some clothes to wear during her stay."

"Oh?" Pear inquired, looking curiously between Chi-chi and Sialia, who fidgeted uncomfortably at the attention and braced herself for the inevitable barrage of questions. "Very well then. Step right over here, young lady. We'll take your measurements, then you can pick out the fabrics you'd like." Sialia was momentarily thrown at the tailor's casual acceptance of her sudden appearance in the Son's life, and shot a confused look at Chi-chi, who gave Sialia an encouraging smile as she pushed her towards Pear.

"Go along, then. I'll start picking out some patterns while you get measured." Chi-chi said authoritatively. Dazed, Sialia obeyed, hopping up to stand on a stool as Pear took measurements with a roll of tape, stopping every once in a while to jot down notes on a pad of paper while Chi-chi browsed through the fabrics with the air of a seasoned professional. In no time at all, Pear had all the information she needed and Chi-chi was handing her an armful of cloth and giving instructions for each one. After that, the tailor departed to her workroom and Chi-chi took a seat on the sofa.

Sialia just stood there for a moment, feeling as though she had just been hit by a truck.

"The measuring's all done now, dear." Chi-chi told her as she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a sewing project of some kind. "Pear's going to need a moment to cut the cloth and pin everything up. After that, we just need to make sure it will fit, then she'll start getting everything together. It shouldn't take her more then three days to complete the whole order."

"Is everyone here like that?" Sialia asked as she hopped off the stool and joined Chi-chi on the couch.

"Of course. Everyone in these parts takes great pride in their work and spend years dedicating themselves to their craft."

"No, not that." Sialia said, biting her lip when Chi-chi shot her a questioning look. "I just mean… she didn't even ask where I came from, or how long I'm going to be here or anything. Doesn't she think it's weird that you'd just show up out of nowhere with a kid who isn't yours?" Chi-chi frowned at that, before setting her work aside with a sigh.

"Pear knows not to ask any questions by now, Sialia." Chichi replied at last. Sialia was about to ask what that was supposed to mean when the door opened again and Gohan entered the small shop.

"I've bought everything you asked for, mom." Gohan said, motioning out the window to the massive pile of groceries in front of the store.

"Good job, Gohan." Chi-chi praised her son with a smile. "Can you fly it all home for me? Sialia and I will probably be here for another hour or so while we wait for Pear. And after you've put everything away, get started on your schoolwork. We'll be able to walk back home on our own."

"What?" Gohan said, looking put out. "But I was hoping me and Sialia could play!"

"'Sialia and I,' young man. And not until you've finished all your schoolwork! Understand?" Chi-chi said sternly.

"Yes, ma'am." Gohan replied dejectedly, shooting Sialia a pout. She grinned apologetically in return as the dark haired boy left the shop. The girl then watched wide-eyed as Gohan easily lifted what must have been nearly 300 lbs of food and flew off in the direction of the Son's home.

_That kind of strength can't be normal._ Sialia thought, shooting Chi-chi a curious look which the young mother ignored in favor of her sewing project. The urge to press her for more answers was almost overwhelming, but the words Chi-chi had spoken before Gohan had walked in made her hesitate.

_Pear knows not to ask any questions by now._

Hesitantly, Sialia bit her lip. Would Chi-chi get mad at her if she kept asking about all the unusual things that surrounded her family? Would she kick Sialia out if she bugged them too much about things that were none of her business?

_You'll be living in the same house as them._ A voice reminded her. _Shouldn't you know about the family you're staying with? Don't you have the right to know what's going on?_

_They were kind enough to offer to take you in, when you had no one else to depend on. _Another voice countered._ They saved your life when you were dying in the forest. Don't you owe them enough to trust them?_

Back and forward it went like that, like a devil arguing with an angel. Through it all, Sialia kept her gaze trained on Chi-chi as she quietly and studiously continued with her work. Sialia was just about to tempt fate and demand some answers from the woman when all of a sudden, Chi-chi made a sound of triumph.

"Finished!" She declared proudly, shaking out the project she'd been working so diligently on. Smiling brightly, the mother flipped her work around to show it to the increasingly confused Sialia. "Well? What do you think?"

Curious, Sialia leaned over to take a closer look at what Chi-chi had been working on, her eyes widening considerably when she saw the woman's finished work.

As it turned out, the project Chi-chi had been slaving over was a blanket. A white blanket with sky blue trim and a beautiful embroidery of bluebirds flying across the spread. Breath catching in her throat, Sialia reached over to pet a hand over the blanket, marveling at the softness and the warmth of the material.

"Is this for me?" She asked, hardly believing that Chi-chi would make such a thing for her.

"Of course!" Chi-chi replied with a laugh. "Gohan's going to need his bed back eventually, and that ratty spare blanket we pulled out of storage isn't any good. We'll work on building you your own bedroom tomorrow, but for now- Sialia?" alarmed, the young mother cut her planning short and jumped forward at the sight of the tears welling up in the girl's blue eyes. "Sialia, what-?!"

"It's nothing." Sialia said, drying her tears before they could fall. "Nothing, just… thank you. You and Gohan have been doing so much for me, even though I'm just a nobody with no memories or family or anything." Sighing, Chi-chi shook her head before taking a seat right next to Sialia, pulling the girl into her arms.

"You're not a nobody, Sialia." Chi-chi told the girl firmly. "I promise you, we'll find out where you came from and help you get back to your family."

"But what if we find them and they don't want me?" Sialia asked with a frightened sob. "W-what if they were the ones who left me all beat up in the forest like that?"

"Then we'll keep you with us, where they can never lay a finger on you ever again." Chi-chi said with absolute conviction. "We'll be your family instead, if that's the case. But I don't think you have anything to worry about. You're a beautiful, strong young lady with a lot of good in you. Any parent would be lucky to have a little girl like you, and I'm sure your parents know that and are looking for you right now." Sialia said nothing to that. Instead, she closed her eyes to listen to Chi-chi's heart beat calmly against her ear, relishing in the warmth and strength of the mother's arms wrapped around her and the feel of Chi-chi soothingly combing out her hair with her fingers.

"I'm glad you guys are the ones who found me." Sialia confessed quietly.

"Me too." Chi-chi said, lips turning up into a smile. "I meant what I said earlier, about you being our Bluebird of Happiness. Gohan's been in a lot of pain ever since my husband died, and to be honest, I have too. But you were able to make Gohan smile again. You've helped him heal just as much as he's helped you. As a mother, I can't thank you enough for that."

"Gohan's dad is dead?" Sialia said, taken aback at this information.

"He died a little over a month ago." Chi-chi confirmed, eyes dimming with sorrow. "He was a good man. Strong and compassionate and always believing the best in people… He gave his life to save everyone else's. Gohan's been blaming himself for it, even though it wasn't his fault. He's always looked up to his father so much, I think he might feel a little lost now that he's gone."

Sialia could certainly relate to that. Though one thing Chi-chi said did strike her as strange…

"But how did I help Gohan with his dad though?" She asked. "I mean, I didn't do anything. I didn't even know about it."

"You helped him by being a friend." Chi-chi responded with a smile. "Gohan hasn't really had the chance to make many of his own friends growing up, just linger at the edge of the group that Goku hung out with since he was a child. It's one of the reasons I've always hated the way he got involved with that world. It made him grow up way too fast."

"That world?" Sialia repeated with a puzzled frown.

"Ancient history." Chi-chi dismissed with a wave of her hand. "Nothing you need to worry about. The point is, you've given my son the carefree kind of friendship he's never really had with another human his age before." Sialia had a hard time believing that, considering how kind Gohan was, but Chi-chi continued speaking despite the girl's skepticism. "I know the past is important, Sialia, even when it's painful to remember. I don't want to forget about Goku, and I don't want Gohan to, either. I understand that you fell lost right now, and I'll do everything I can to help you find out where you came from and who you were before we found you because it's a part of who you are, but I've always felt that it's better to live for the future, instead of lingering in the past.

"That's why I've always pushed Gohan to study instead of fighting. The world today isn't like the one Goku and I grew up in, and I want him to be prepared to rise to his own challenges, not just repeat the ones that we've had to deal with. I know you're probably confused and scared right now, but even if something took away your memories, they haven't taken your future. You're the one who gets to define you. So I don't want to hear you calling yourself a nobody ever again, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." Sialia said with a watery laugh, smiling up at Chi-chi in admiration.

Son Chi-chi was pretty strict, but Gohan was lucky to have such a strong, loving woman for a mother.

"Alright now, I think we're ready!" Pear called out from the next room, Reentering through the door she had disappeared through with a white cloth draped over her arm. "We can do the first fitting now, and I'll make any necessary adjustments before I get to work on anything else. You can change in the bathroom if you'd like, sweetheart."

"Thank you." Sialia said as she accepted the outfit that was handed to her, heading off in the direction Pear had gestured to as the bathroom. Once the door was locked behind her, Sialia began pulling off her clothes and slipped into the one Pear had made for her instead.

The new outfit was yet another dress. A white sleeveless qipao with a high collar, much like the kind Chi-chi wore, only the skirt was a little shorter, ending just above her knees with a slit up the side which trailed all the way up her hip. It was accessorized with a pale pink belt, which matched the floral pattern that was stitched into the chest, right above her heart. There was also a pair of loose red kung fu styled pants, and white silk slippers. The end results were a look that was feminine, but not restricting or uncomfortable.

"You look lovely!" Chi-chi praised when Sialia finally left the restroom in her new clothes. "Oh Sialia, looks absolutely perfect on you!"

"It looks like the fit's about right, too." Pear said, circling Sialia and adjusting her clothes here and there. "Is there anywhere it feels too tight or loose?"

"No, ma'am." Sialia answered.

"An excellent job as always, Pear." Chi-chi said with a smile. "And I can't thank you enough for getting it done so fast! Do you have any ideas as far as payment goes?"

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd really like to get my hands on those silks from Fire Mountain."

"You don't pay with money here?" Sialia asked, visibly surprised.

"No one around these parts takes money from the Sons, dear." Pear said with a curious look at Sialia, as if she found it odd that the girl didn't already know that. "Instead we ask for any goods or services we'd like for our payment. It's a much better system, since they can bring us many things we can't get our hands on otherwise."

"I'll have Gohan deliver those silks to you tomorrow." Chi-chi promised.

"Excellent. The other outfits should be ready by the afternoon, so he can pick them up for you then."

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to get back home to start preparing dinner for tonight."

"I understand." Pear said with a laugh. "Stop in for a drink next time you come down from your castle, okay Princess?"

"Absolutely." Chi-chi agreed before turning to her new ward. "Come on, Sialia. It's going to be a long walk back up the mountain."

* * *

That, it turned out, was the understatement of the century.

"I don't remember the walk down taking this long." Sialia groaned an hour later as she limped after Chi-chi, who looked completely unfazed. Sialia couldn't understand how, though. Her legs were killing her…

"That's because the way down was mostly downhill. Uphill is a lot harder dear." Chi-chi reminded her in bemusement. Sialia groaned in response. "On the bright side though, I think we've officially established that you're not from the country. Though you don't complain about the walk nearly as much as Bulma, so you're probably not from a city, either."

"Right now, I'm more concerned with where I'm going then where I'm from." Sialia huffed in amusement. "How much farther before we get there?"

"Another hour and a half, I'd say." Chi-chi guessed. Sialia felt like crying after hearing that. "I can carry you, if you'd like. I'm used to the walk, so it doesn't bother me as much."

"No, it's alright." Sialia insisted, pride flaring up at the idea of being carried like a child. "But I don't understand why we don't just use Nimbus."

"Nimbus is Gohan's. It's one of the last mementos he got from his father before Goku passed. Other people might be able to ride it, if they're considered worthy, but it only really listens to it's master." Chi-chi said, voice warm with wistful affection.

"So you have to walk like this every time you want to go to the village?" Sialia clarified, aghast.

"It's not so bad, once you get get used to it." Chi-chi assured her with a chuckle. "Or you could learn to fly like Gohan does. The trip only takes him ten minutes."

"…I could learn to fly?" Sialia felt all her exhaustion vanish at that piece of information.

"If you work hard enough." Chi-chi replied. "Goku tried to teach me before, actually. I was never able to get the hang of it, but Gohan's been able to since he was four. I'm sure he'll give you some pointers, if you ask him." That just shot to the top of Sialia's 'To Do' list, right before regaining her memories and trying to find out who tried to kill her.

Before Sialia could press Chi-chi for more information, there was a loud rustling from the bushed along the path right in front of them and, before either Sialia or Chi-chi could react, four men came out of the foliage to block their path, bloodthirsty grins on their faces and weapons in their hands. Wide-eyed, Sialia turned to look behind them in time to see their way back to the village blocked by a large bipedal tigerman.

"Alright ladies, we're gonna play a game." The tigerman chuckled in a deep growl. "The rules are simple. You hand over all your money and valuables, and you leave alive. Give us any problems, and you don't understand?"

_Thieves._ Sialia realized, spinning around to try and find an escape. Unfortunately, the men had boxed them in and there was no way out. Sialia started panicking, but Chi-chi's eyes narrowed at the Tigerman, lips thinning in disapproval. Before Sialia could figure out what was going on, Chi-chi had handed her her bag, which had the blanket the Son woman had made for her.

"Hold this for me, will you Sialia?" She asked calmly of the dumbfounded girl, rolling her shoulders as she stepped forward towards the tigerman, who was obviously the leader. Wordlessly, Chi-chi fell into a defensive position. Something in Sialia stirred to life at the motion. It felt almost like she was getting… excited?

"So you wanna play rough, huh sweetheart?" The brute laughed when he saw Chi-chi wasn't backing down. "Alright, I guess I can go a round or two with you, if you want." Nasty laugher filled the air from the thugs surrounding them, but Chi-chi was unmoved as the tigerman unsheathed a sword that was bigger than Sialia. Bellowing loudly, the beast jumped to cleave Chi-chi into two.

What happened next was absolutely breathtaking.

Like a well-choreographed dance, Chi-chi stepped to the side to avoid the blade that could've easily killed her. Another step put her directly in front of her assailant, where an elbow to his ribs resulted in a loud cracking noise as the thief fell back with a howl of pain. For a moment, none of the other bandits reacted. Then, pandemonium broke loose.

Screams and shouts filled the air as the rest of the thieves went on the offensive to bring Chi-chi down. But in the end, Chi-chi brought all of them to their knees. And what's more, she made it all look effortless.

_She's a great fighter._ Sialia marveled, watching every move Chi-chi made. Something about the sight felt familiar to her. Welcomed, even. Before she could explore this sensation any farther though, someone grabbed her roughly from behind and, the next thing Sialia knew, a knife was being held to her throat.

"Back off lady!" The last standing thief snarled. "Back off right now, or I'll take your daughter's head off!" The threat made Chi-chi freeze in place. The criminal holding Sialia began backing away warily from the Son matriarch, dragging Sialia along with him as he walked. Eye's widening, Chi-chi stepped forward, opening her mouth to protest. "Back OFF! I'll slit her throat if you move another step, you bitch!" Sialia probably should've been scared- she was being held hostage by a knife wielding maniac, after all- but instead of fear, it was anger that pooled through the blue-eyed girl as the man's words sank in.

No way was she going to let this guy get away with calling Chi-chi a bitch.

Before she even realized what she was doing, Sialia had brought her hand up to wrap around her assailant's thumb, bending it back until it popped. The man dropped his knife with a startled scream, which Sialia automatically kicked out of the way before twisting to get a better grip on the thief. Lowering her center of gravity, Sialia bodily threw the man over her shoulder, sending him flying past Son Chi-chi and directly on top of the tigerman, who was just starting to get up again.

A long, stunned silence filled the moments that followed.

"Sialia…" Chi-chi finally said, making the girl in question start. "…Do you know how to fight?"

"Um… I guess so?" Sialia said uncertainly, looking at the man she'd just thrown.

She was starting to wonder more and more about the kind of life she'd had before the Sons found her.


End file.
